Day 1: Nairobi – Masai Mara Resrve
Your driver will pick you up from your hotel or the airport. From there you head for the Masai Mara. Along the way you stop at a viewpoint 2,200 meters above sea level. Looking down you see Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha way below on the rift valley floor. The views are wide and open. You go down the escarpment and pass through Narok town. You arrive at the Mara in time for lunch at your camp or lodge. After checking in and resting a bit, you go out for an evening game drive and stay out until the sun goes down. Dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp.
Day 2: Full Day in the Masai Mara
Breakfast comes early today. The cook packs a picnic lunch for you because you will be out the whole day. The Mara is Kenya’s finest wildlife area and one of the best places in Africa to see animals. Over 450 species live here. The plains are full of wildebeest and zebra, some passing through on migration and others staying all year. The weather is mild and the land is green. You will see elephants, lions, buffalo, Thompson’s gazelle, and topi. If you are lucky you might spot a black rhino. You stop for lunch by the Mara River. While you eat you can watch hippos in the water and crocodiles on the banks. In the afternoon you keep looking for more wildlife. As evening comes you head back to your lodge or camp for dinner and the night.
Day 3: Masai Mara – Lake Naivasha
After breakfast you leave the Mara and drive to Lake Naivasha. You get there in time for lunch. In the afternoon you head to Crescent Island for a walking safari. The shores here are full of birds. You will see pelicans, cormorants, and fish eagles. The island has more animals per acre than any other park in Kenya. You walk among herds of wildebeest, waterbuck, zebra, and gazelle. Hippos graze on land at night and rest in the water during the day. Giraffes born on the island come back here to give birth. Sometimes you see three generations together. Hyenas come at night to hunt but do not stay on the island. Pythons live here and you might see one with a kill. Buffalo groups move in and out but the rangers keep an eye on them. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.
Day 4: Lake Naivasha – Lake Bogoria – Lake Nakuru National Park
After breakfast you drive to Lake Bogoria. This place is a paradise for bird watchers, maybe the best in East Africa. Animals here include the shy greater kudu with its long spiral horns. You also see cheetah, impala, Grant’s gazelle, and waterbuck. Lake Bogoria is the only place in Kenya where you find hot springs and geysers. You can see steam rising from the ground and water bubbling up hot. In the afternoon you leave Bogoria and drive to Lake Nakuru. You arrive in the evening. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.
Day 5: Lake Nakuru – Samburu Game Reserve
After breakfast you go for a game drive in Lake Nakuru park. The lake is famous for the millions of flamingos that line its shores. From a distance the water looks pink. This is also the place to see white rhino and black rhino. Over 450 bird species have been recorded here. You will see lions, waterbucks, buffalo, baboons, and pelicans. After lunch you leave Nakuru and drive north toward Samburu. On the way you stop at Thomson Falls. You keep going north past the equator. The land gets drier and more open. You arrive at Samburu in the evening. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.
Day 6: Full Day in Samburu Reserve
After breakfast you go out for a morning game drive. You return to the lodge for lunch. Later in the afternoon you head out again and stay until the sun goes down. Samburu is a true wildlife area. Here you find the big cats like lions, cheetahs, and leopards. Some animals here are not found in other parks. Look for Grevy’s zebra with its thin stripes, the long-necked gerenuk, the reticulated giraffe with its geometric patterns, and the greater kudu. The Ewaso Nyiro River runs through the park. Elephants, buffalo, and other animals come here to drink. The land is semi-arid and scenic. The Samburu people live in this area and you may see them in their colorful clothing. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.
Day 7: Samburu – Sweetwaters
After breakfast you leave Samburu and drive to the foothills of Mount Kenya. You arrive at the Ol Pejeta ranch in the late morning. After lunch you go for an afternoon game drive. Ol Pejeta is a private conservancy. Animals here include elephant, lion, cheetah, eland, giraffe, and many others. This is also one of the few places in Kenya where you can see chimpanzees. They live in a special sanctuary within the conservancy. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.
Day 8: Sweetwaters – Amboseli National Park
You start the day with an early morning game drive. Then you come back for a full breakfast. After breakfast you leave Sweetwaters and drive south. You pass through Karatina, home to the biggest open-air market in East and Central Africa. You continue to Nairobi where you stop for lunch at a restaurant. In the afternoon you keep going south to Amboseli. You arrive at your camp or lodge in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight here.
Day 9: Full Day in Amboseli
After breakfast you go out for a full day of game viewing. You take a picnic lunch with you. Amboseli sits at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. On clear days the view of the snow-capped peak is stunning. This park is known for its huge herds of elephants. You will also see lions, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, and wild dogs. Other animals include wildebeest, buffalo, zebra, and many types of antelope. The animals gather at water holes that are fed by the melting snow from Kilimanjaro. There is also a lake here but it only holds water after heavy rain. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.
Day 10: Amboseli – Nairobi
After breakfast you go out for one last game drive. After the drive you return to the camp for a full breakfast. Then you check out and start the drive back to Nairobi. You stop for lunch along the way. You arrive in Nairobi in the evening. Your driver will drop you off at your hotel or at the airport.
